Sound producing device such as a music box or the like



Feb. 20, 1968 \IOSIRO OSUZYO 3,369,437

SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE SUCH AS A MUSIC BOX OR THE LIKE Filed July 27, 1966 i 16 E O Y E INVEIQVTOR. /0 5/ R0 05 2 v0 MWWZW United States Patent 3,369,437 SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE SUCH AS A MUSHC BQX OR THE LIKE Yosiro Osuzyo, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to Kabushiki Kaisha Sankyo Seiki Seisakusho Shimosuwa-machi, Suwa-gun, Nagano Prefecture, Japan Filed July 27, 1966, Ser. No. 568,247 4 Claims. (CI. 84-94) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A music box is disclosed including a driving unit, arranged for mounting in a jewel box or the like, to which there may be interchangeably secured, in driving relation, different sound producing units.

The driving unit includes a frame or base for mounting in the jewel box or the like, a motor mounted on the frame, a gear rotated by the motor, and a seat for the sound producing unit. This seat is formed with an aperture aligned with the gear, for exposing the gear.

The sound producing unit includes a reed plate having reeds mounted thereon, the reed plate being mounted on the base of a casing. A rotatable drum is provided with pins arranged to engage and vibrate the reeds to produce the tune. This drum is rotated by a gear which is arranged adjacent an aperture in the casing so that the gear on the sound unit is also exposed.

Interengageable means are provided on each sound producing unit and on the seat of the driving unit so that a sound producing unit may be disengageably connected to or mounted upon the driving unit with the two gears in mesh with each other for driving of the sound producing unit drum by the motor of the driving unit. A locking means is provided on the driving unit arranged to normally arrest operation thereof by the motor, which may be a spring motor, for example, and this locking means has a finger or the like engageable by a sound producing unit, when the latter is disengageably connected to the seat of the driving unit, to operate the lock to disengage the driving unit so that the latter may rotate the drum of the sound producing unit.

Background of the invention This invention relates to a sound producing device such as a music box or the like.

Heretofore, in a sound producing device, such as a music box in general, a sound producing unit comprising a metal plate formed with a plurality of reeds and a rotary drum having pins associated with the reeds of said metal plate formed on the cylindrical surface thereof, and a driving unit to impart a rotary motion to the rotary drum of said sound producing unit, were usually put together fixedly as a unit, and the rotary drum or the sound producing unit could not be replaced by new ones.

Because the sound producing device as above described can play only one tune at all times, one cannot but feel somewhat monotonous when listening to the sound producing device equipped on jewel boxes, ornaments, toys, or the like.

Hence, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sound producing device such as a music box or the like, wherein the sound producing unit and the driving unit thereof are disengageable from each other so that the sound producing unit can be readily replaced by others capable of playing different tunes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide, in a sound producing device such as music box or the like pursuant to the object as set out herein, a sound manual actuation to produce unit capable of producing musical sounds even when such unit is detached from the drivlng unit.

With these objects in view and other objects hereinafte set forth, the arrangement and construction of this invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the sound producing unit of the sound producing device according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the driving unit of the device;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the driving unit as shown in FIG. 2, with a seat to receive the sound producing unit removed; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional side elevational view taken along. the line IVIV of FIG. 2 with the sound producing unit, mounted on the seat provided on the driving unit, and engaged with the driving unit shown by dash-dotted lines.

The driving unit B which imparts a rotary motion to the sound producing unit A shown in FIG. 1 comprises, in combination, a base frame 6 suitably secured to a jewel box or the like upon which the present sound producing device is mounted, in a manner as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, a spring (not shown) enclosed inside a casing 4 secured to said base frame and which is the source of motive power to drive the sound producing device, a gear 2 pivotally mounted on said base frame and rotated in engagement with crown gear 3 fitted coaxially to the axle of the spring, a speed governor consisting of rotary vanes 9 connected to gear 2 via a train of gears 7, 8 to rotate gear 2 at a fixed speed, a support frame 10 journalling said row of gears 7, 8, and a gear 1 fixed on the axle of the gear 2. Said spring is wound by means of a winding axle 5.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a seat 11, providedon the driving unit B to receive the sound producing unit A, is attached to the top of the side walls of the base frame 6 and an opening lle is cut in the bottom thereof to expose a part ofgear 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sound producing unit A comprises a rotary drum 14 rotatably mounted on the support 13 and provided on the cylindrical surface thereof with pins 14a to engage and vibrate the reeds 15a of the reed plate 15, and a gear 12 fixed on the axle of rotary drum 14 to transmit a rotary motion to said rotary drum, said reeds 15a engaging with and vibrated by the pins 14a, as the rotary drum 14 rotates, to produce the sounds. The support 13 is fixed to a cover plate 16a of the casing 16 and is accommodated therein. As shown in FIG. 4, the

sound producing unit A is received by the seat 11 provided I on the driving unit B, the gear 12 of the sound producing unit A engaging with the gear 1 of the driving unit B.

As the driving unit B is rotated, rotary motion is transmitted from gear 1 to gear 12 to rotate the drum 14, and the reeds 15a are vibrated by the pins 14a. The outer portion of the casing of the sound producing unit A is held in between the projecting portions of the tongues 11a each formed by a pair of slots 11b provided oppositely on the open top portion of the seat 11, and the relation of engagement of the sound producing unit A with the driving unit B may be maintained in the optimum state, while the sound producing unit A and driving unit B thus held together may be prevented from detachment due to vibrations While in transit. The same purpose may also be fulfilled if either the casing 16 of the sound producing unit A or the tongues 11a of the seat 11 are provided with a convex portion to engage with a corresponding convex portion provided on the other member. Cut-outs 11d provided in seat 11 oppositely to the side wall of the support 13 serve to facilitate removal of sound producing unit A from the seat 11.

Explaining the operation of the mechanism to switch on and off the rotation of the driving unit B of the present invention with particular reference to FIG. 3, such mechanism comprises a long length of a rod 18 pivoted to a supporting member 17 riveted to the base frame 6, and a spring 19 which imparts a recoiling movement to the rod 18. One end 180 of the rod 18 is bent to project into the interior of the seat 11 while the other end 18]) thereof is extended to project in the Way of movement of the vanes 9. Normally, the end 18a of the rod 18 is projected in the interior of the seat, while the end 1812 abuts the vanes 9 to arrest rotation of the driving unit B. As the sound producing unit A is mounted on the seat 1, the rod 18 is rotated, with the end 18a thereof depressed by the bottom of the casing of the unit A. Thus, the end 1812 can be disengaged from the vanes 9 to permit rotation of the driving unit B. In other Words, the driving unit B does not rotate so long as the sound producing unit A is not received by the seat 11, so that useless rotation may be avoided.

In the present device, it is requisite that gears 1 and 12 should mesh with each other. Either the gear 1 may project from the seat 11 or the gear 12 from the casing 16, so that the gear 12 of the sound producing unit A may be made with a large size and the teeth thereof projected slightly outwardly from the casing 16 as by way of an opening 16b, in a manner as shown by the chained lines in FIG. 1. Then, one may produce the sounds and enjoy the musical tune performed by the sound producing device by turning the gear 12 with the flat of ones finger without the necessity of attaching the driving unit B thereto. Also, when purchasing the sound producing unit separately at a shop, one may make a choice of the musical tune or certify the performance thereof by rotating the unit with his finger and producing the sound.

In general, the reed plate 15 is so made that the reeds 15a thereof may be depressed exclusively in one direction by the pins 14a. Hence, there is a risk that the drum 14 is rotated in the reverse direction and breakage of the reeds takes place, as is frequently the case when the drum 14 is turned by the flat of the finger. In order to prevent this, a ratchet wheel 20 and a pawl 21 engaging therewith may be fitted on the axle of the rotary drum 14, as shown in FIG. 1, to prevent counter rotation of the rotary drum 14.

The driving unit B according to the present invention need only be made so that the gear 1 thereof may be turned at a constant speed in agreement with the performance of the device. Hence, to rotate the gear 1 the driving unit B may be equipped with an electric motor the speed of rotation of which is reduced suitably through the medium of reduction gears. In this case, a switch may be provided on the seat to stop the rotation of the driving unit, the circuit of the source of the electric motor being opened and closed with the insertion and removal of the sound producing unit A.

In mounting the present apparatus having the abovementioned construction on a jewel box or the like the outward aspect of the apparatus may be enhanced appreciably if only the seat of the driving unit B is exposed to the outside in such a manner as to facilitate insertion, removal, or replacement of the sound producing unit A, and the other component parts of the driving member are enclosed inside the casing.

What is claimed is:

1. A music box comprising, in combination, a driving unit; a sound producing unit independent of said driving unit but selectively connectable in. driving engagement with said driving unit; said driving unit including a base arranged for mounting in a jewel box or the like, a motor mounted on said base, a gear rotated by the motor and a seat arranged to conformingly and interchangeably receive a sound producing unit, said seat having an aperture therein exposing the teeth of said gear; said sound producing unit including a casing conformingly engageable with said seat, a support in said casing, a reed plate on said support and formed with a plurality of reeds, a drum rotatably mounted on said port and having radially projecting pins engageable with said reed to vibrate the same and a second gear fixed to rotate with said drum, said casing having an opening exposing the teeth of said second gear; and releasably interengageable means on said seat and on said casing for disengageably and interchangeably connecting said sound producing unit to said driving unit with said second gear meshing with said first mentioned gear.

2. A music box, as claimed in claim 1, including means on said driving unit normally maintaining said first mentioned gear stationary, and engageable by said sound producing unit, when the latter is disengageably connected to said driving unit, to condition said first mentioned gear to rotate.

3. A music box, as claimed in claim 2, in which said last-named means comprises a locking member normally engaged with a rotatable component of said driving unit rotatable with said first mentioned gear; said locking member including an operating portion engageable by said sound producing unit, when the latter is disengageably connected to said driving unit, to operate said locking member to disengage said rotatable component.

4. A sound producing device, such as a music box or the like comprising a sound producing unit including a reed plate formed with a plurality of reeds, a rotary drum having pins on its cylindrical surface engageable with said reeds to vibrate the latter as said drum rotates, a gear fixed to rotate with said drum, a support mounting said reed plate, said drum and said gear, and a casing mounted on said support; and a driving unit including a frame constructed and arranged for mounting in a jewel box or the like, a prime mover mounted on said frame, a second gear connected to said prime mover by a gear train for rotation by said prime mover, and a seat constructed to detachably and interchangeably receive said sound producing unit; said gears being meshed with each other when said sound producing unit is disengageably secured to said seat; said driving unit further including a means normally engaged with a rotatable component of the driving unit to stop the rotation of said rotatable component, but disengaged therefrom by said sound producing unit as the latter is mounted on said driving unit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 895,450 8/ 1908 Glass 84-94 1,734,770 10/ 1929 Kayan 84-94 FOREIGN PATENTS 200,671 9/ -7 Germany.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner. CHARLES OVERBEY, Assistant Examiner. 

